AN NCS PREMIERE: BEWARE OF GODS — “TEMPLE OF THIEVES”

(written by Islander)

“Industrial-tinged Doom with vocals in the style of Chris Cornell, Chino Moreno, and Thou. FFO: Conan, NIN, Radiohead & Failure.”  That’s the intriguing elevator pitch for the music of the Chicago-based one-man band Beware of Gods and the band’s new album Upon Whom The Last Light Descends II: Amnesia Island.

As the album title signifies, it’s the second installment in a four-part work, a conceptual work inspired by ‘The Blind Idiot God’ from the HP Lovecraft mythos known as Azathoth — “a malevolently indifferent Infinite Creator of Chaos re-imagined as the Looming Dread treading all of Us which can only be overcome by turning to face it.”

We’re told that other literary and film inspirations include: Dune,The Matrix, Dracula, Demian, Mad Max, Blade Runner, Jonah & The Whale, and Foundation.

While “industrial-tinged doom” is a decent shorthand for the music, it’s also too limiting. There’s another combination of invocations in the band’s bio that’s more evocative: “Cosmic Horror / SCI FI / Psych / Myth / Noir“.

Hopefully, the foregoing paragraphs have effectively teased you into listening to a song from the new album we’re premiering today, even if you missed Beware of God‘s first album, because this new song really is one you should not miss.

This track, like the album as a whole, is the work of lone wolf Jason O’Donnell (aka “The Archetype“), again joined by guest drummer Kellii Scott of the famed L.A.-based alt-rock band Failure, and enhanced by the work of some other guests we’ll name below, as well as that of sound design veteran Feederwire and engineer/producer Pete Grossmann (Gates To Hell, Warforged, Weekend Nachos, Frail Body, Scientist, Huntsmen) of Bricktop Recording.

In a nutshell, “Temple of Thieves” is a stunning song, a big scary beast of a song with a heavy-muscled punch, a malignant and unearthly mien, and a chorale of vocals that will light up your eyes and send shivers down your spine. It’s primally compelling, immediately addictive, and continually rewarding, the kind of thing your enraptured reptile brain will want to go back to over and over again.

Only a dead man’s muscles wouldn’t move to the song’s massive, thrusting grooves, propelled by big booming drums and a lead-weighted but fuzzed-out bass. And the shaggy, blaring, moaning, and undulating riffage, accented by squalling leads, does conjure menacing beastly visions.

The vocals are damned scary too, and remarkably varied. This one-man chorale delivers sinister but soulful singing in captivating tones, gritty soaring cries about to come apart at the seams, the snarls and screams of a demon that’s caught the smell of blood, and something like the grim pronouncements of a street-corner prophet.

As if the song weren’t frightening and exhilarating enough, it also includes a weirdly warping and shrieking guitar solo, dismally writhing and gruesomely growling notes, and brazen melodic swirls way up in the rafters.

 

 

And now here’s a statement we want to share from Jason O’Donnell:

“Tracking with Pete Grossmann at Bricktop is a highlight of my career & life. His work with Huntsmen, Frail Body, Gates To Hell, Warforged & his own band High Priest is prime, top of the peak, best out there imo. His knowledge base, technique, wisdom & vision really advanced ‘Temple Of Thieves,’ as well as all the songs, from what it was in infancy, to the monster it became in the studio.

“Eric Plonka (Scientist, Yakuza, DRÖV, PLNKA) laid down additional heavy blankets of creepy, otherworldly guitars in just the right sections, that seem to be crawling of a formless void. Kellii Scott of Failure is of course beyond monumental to the deep ditch digging groove factor on drums, laying a foundation for Feederwire (REKT, Unterm Rad) to construct a digi-doom encrusted network of futuristic soundscapes & Sci Fi audio architecture.”

MORE CREDITS: The album was mastered by Brad Boatright of Audiosiege, and the cover art was created by Unexpected Specter.

The new album will be released on May 2nd, and it’s available for pre-order now. Down below we’ve also included a stream of the first song revealed from the album, “The Doomsday Zealot of Amnesia Island“, and you shouldn’t miss it either.

PRE-ORDER:
https://bewareofgods.bandcamp.com/album/upon-whom-the-last-light-descends-ii-amnesia-island

BEWARE OF GODS:
https://linktr.ee/bewareofgods
https://www.instagram.com/beware_of_gods
https://www.facebook.com/bewareofgodsband